


To The Heavyside Layer

by Shadows_of_Fire_and_Blood



Category: Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats - T. S. Eliot
Genre: Affection, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:41:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25474033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadows_of_Fire_and_Blood/pseuds/Shadows_of_Fire_and_Blood
Summary: Rumpleteaser has reservations about the next upcoming Jellical ball.
Relationships: Mungojerrie and Rumpleteaser
Kudos: 9





	To The Heavyside Layer

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies in advance if any of the dialogue ends up being hard to understand/read etc I tried to emulate their speech patterns and cockney accents from the 1998 VHS stage film as best as possible
> 
> Comments and Kudos are appreciated and welcomed :)

In just a weeks’ time the next Jellicle ball would be held and everyone had been busy with preparations, new songs to be sung, new dance routines to learn, and of course new queens would be coming of age and another cat would be chosen to see the Heaviside layer and be reborn into a different Jellicle life.

‘ _Waiting up there is the Heaviside Lair, full of wonders, one Jellicle only will see_.’

For the past few days Rumpleteazer had been thinking more and more about these words, her tail flicked and twitched as she sat, deep in thought on the edge of an old tire which lay discarded on its side near the far side of the junkyard. She remained so deep in thought that she didn’t notice the sun rise, or the sound of the other Jellicle’s rising for the day.

_**‘Rawr!’** _

Suddenly Rumpleteazer was on the ground lying on her back, pinned beneath a similar looking calico, this time a tom cat.

“Mungo!” she shrieked upon realising it was only her mate.

Chuckling with amusement Mungojerrie lent back on his feet, taking his hands away from their place on her torso

“Sorry Teaz, ya looked so ou’ of it I couldn’t ‘elp meself!” he laughed

Rumpleteazer frowned

“tha’s jus’ mean!” she responded, pouting and giving Mungojerrie a playful cuff around the back of his head.

Having known her for a good deal of time Mungo had to admit to expecting more of a reaction from his fiery lover.

“It’s not like ya to be up before the sun Teaz, wha’s up?”

Mungojerrie offered her a paw to help her up only to be ignored, Rumpleteazer sat up herself but remained sitting, front paws resting on the ground between crossed legs

“Woke up, couldn’t get back ta sleep tha’s all.” She insisted.

Her mate remained unconvinced

“Hm, Rumpleteazer you’re one ‘eck of a thief an’ all but you’re a terrible liar.”

Mungojerrie sat by her side, getting comfortable

“The only time you can’t sleep is when somethin’ s really up.” He added, brushing his shoulder against hers in a friendly nudge.

The pair sat in silence for a few minutes, while outwardly his usual playful self Mungojerrie could tell that something was bothering his mate these past few days.

But Rumpleteazer was stubborn so he had decided to wait and see if she would tell him of her own accord- when he saw this wasn’t going to happen he chose to ask her about it directly.

“it’s the Ball in a couple days.” She started

Mungojerrie stretched casually

“Yeah, should be a good laugh, no Macavity to go an’ ruin it all this time aroun’” Mungojerrie tried to joke

“Yeah.” Rumpleteazer’s response was flat and unenthusiastic.

“Y’know ‘ow Ol’ Deuteronomy chooses one cat to go ta the ‘eavyside an’ all?” she started, glancing at her mate with her pretty bottle-green eyes,

“Yeah, course” was his reply, “Well, I was thinkin’…”

“An’ we all know what trouble tha’ gets ya into Teaz!” Mungojerrie ducked as another cuff around the ear was sent in his direction

“Kiddin’ Teazer, Kiddin’…” he laughed, sitting straight again.

Rumpleteazer lowered her paw from her half-hearted swat, rubbing the top of her other arm nervously

“I was thinkin’… wha’ if one of us two get chosen?” she admitted, the tight feeling in her chest suddenly eased with relief as she finally voiced her concern out loud.

Unfortunately Mungojerrie was a little slower on the uptake than she would have liked.

“Ya think we will?” he cried happily “It would be amazing to see the ‘eavy-side, Teaz! An’ who knows what or where we could be reborn as! ‘ere I wonder if we’d get ta choose!” Mungo chattered excitedly,

“You ain’t listenin’! Only one cat gets picked! Only one o’ us would get ta go…”

By now tears had started to sting Rumpleteazer’s eyes, as her desperate gaze met his Mungojerrie finally realized the problem, and the happiness and excitement drained from his face in seconds

“Oh.” He gasped in realization “Oh Teaz I never thought…” he whispered,

“Only one of us would get chosen and…and we’d probably never see each other again.”

Nodding in agreement Rumpleteazer sighed, running his claws through his head-fur Mungojerrie tried to wrap his head around the idea…going to the Heavy-side Lair and never being with his mate again…worry now marring his features he started to pace nervously.

Rumpleteazer watched, not daring to take her eyes off of him as he muttered, half to himself half to her

“I never even thought… I mean we aint ‘ardly worth it really, but still…Ol’ D wouldn’t pick one o’ us would he? You don’t think he really will choose one of us do ya Teazer?“ he questioned without looking up

“Mungo…”

Her voice broke his thoughts and he stopped his pacing, something in her tone cut right through him…never had he heard her sound so scared, so vulnerable. This wasn’t his cheeky, fun-loving Rumpleteazer at all.

Sliding over to kneel in front of her stared into her eyes firmly

“I couldn’t do it Teaz…I can’t be without ya!” he told her

his voice shook with emotion, unable to stop them Rumpleteazer let tears spill over her eyes as she crawled into his lap with a whimper, leaning her head against his chest with her wrapped his arms around her protectively, crossing his legs as she wrapped hers around his waist in an intimate embrace

“He could pick anyone Mungojerrie” she choked.

Nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck Mungojerrie gave a half whimper, half groan as if the thought of being separated his partner in crime caused him immense physical pain.

“You’re all I got Mungo, it’s always been Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer; not one with-out the other…” Rumpleteazer muttered, , leaning her forehead against the side of his head and running her claws lightly through the fur on his chest absently

“I know I can be stubborn an’ ‘ot ‘headed an all but…I love ya Mungojerrie. More than me own life.” She admitted

Her mate stared, he wasn’t unfamiliar with the more vulnerable side of his mate, only he alone had ever seen in her very rare moments of weakness

“Don’t do that, you ain’t sayin ya goodbyes’ yet Rumpleteazer, ya got me?” he insisted, taking the sides of her face in his front paws, “

“you’re right Mungo. We won’t get chosen, we ain’t worth it, like you say.” She added lightly

Her mate gave her nudge

“Ey, if anyone deserves to see the ‘eavy-side it’s you Teaz. But I aint letting you go without a fight” Mungojerrie insisted with fierce determination, as if by sheer will he could make this decision himself.

He wiped away the tears from under his mate’s eyes

“We’re gonna stay right ‘ere, once the ball over and done we can go ‘ome and give our ’umans the run around! Then once we get bored o’ that we can go out and see what we can steal, I’ll get ya a nice new set ‘o pearls…your ones are lookin’ right scruffy now” he added playfully,

Finally Rumpleteazer chuckled, nodding at his words in agreement.

Still tangled in their embrace Rumpleteazer purred and nuzzled her head under Mungojerrie’s chin, she licked her mates cheek, receiving a low growl in response as Mungojerrie began to rub his head against hers, however seconds later, where he had been leaning against his mate, there was now thin air, causing him to tumble forwards, on to his front, with his mate lying across the length of his back

“Teazer by name teaser by nature”

Mungojerrie huffed as Teazer’s tail swished in front of his face “Think of it as pay back fo’ earlier!” Rumpleteazer cackled as she jumped up and darted away. He shook his head fondly, relieved that she was back to her old self.

Picking himself up Mungojerrie raced after Rumpleteazer.


End file.
